Friday, April 5, 2013

Here I am, sitting in one of the greatest cities of the world - and not quite taking advantage of it.

That is because I am missing Bombay a bit too much.

I miss driving down the Sea Link or on Western Express highway and those rare, highly planned and carefully executed trips to South Bombay.

I miss the Head Office with Bru Cafe and Knorr Kitchen, playing squash and walking down The Street. I miss the people badly - that wonderful set of crazy people like myself I discovered in a place where I least expected it. I miss the security of having the constant company of people I knew and liked in something as bewildering as the workplace.

I miss the Santa Cruz guest house - the privacy or the hostel like camaraderie it offered, depending on your mood. And of course, all the Maggi.

I miss everyone in Bombay and all the fun I had with them over the last three months - going for movies, hanging out at each other's houses, getting drunk, deciding to drive suddenly to Marine Drive or over the Sea Link, playing with the cat, planning to go to plays every other weekend and not quite getting there in time and all the other fun things we did.

Most of all, I miss the boy. I miss the comfort of his presence, of knowing that I would see him at the end of the week if not during it. I miss walking down Worli Seaface, eating at Tastee or Subway, those visits to Palladium (I'm shocked it featured so late in this post!) - of spending time quietly and happily with each other. Of knowing that all our problems would some how disappear when we met.

A part of this post is give voice to these emotions inside of me - but the other part is also to get some clear direction as to what I want to achieve in the next 6 months; which is why I am publishing this post as well. I need to be held accountable to it in the future. So here goes:

I will get some self discipline: From ensuring I wake up on time to making sure I do my work in a manner which is less college student-like, I have to develop some self discipline in my work ethic. I have repeatedly proved to myself that if I set my mind on something, I am capable of a lot. I need to develop some rigour with respect to work. I cannot keep procrastinating and finishing stuff off at the last minute like I tend to do even now. Work hard from 8:30am to 6:30pm and then chill. That's all I need to do. I need to get this into my system before I take up my final role.

I will get fit:thisHAS to be done. It is not even funny how far I have let myself go. I will make sure I exercise in some form for at least 5 days a week and control my diet. No more chips and other assorted junk food. No more fatty, comfort foods - except for an occasional packet of Maggi if I can get my hands on it. This is absolutely essential (and I don't mean the Maggi).

I will get out and do things: I have been doing this largely to be honest. But most weekends, the temptation is to just lie around at home. While that is awesome, there is no need to do it every weekend. No. I will track plays, music events, museum exhibitions etc and I will go for them. I will absorb every bit of the remarkable assortment of culture that this city has to offer.

I will join classes and make friends in London: I am fortunate in that I already have some great friends here. However, it is always good to meet new people - and that is something I do enjoy doing. So yes, its time to get back into full friend making mode. I've joined Ukelele and vocal training classes already..so lets see where these take me.

I will be keep track of my expenses: Yes, if I want to execute plans 3 and 4, it will involve a fair bit of spending. But I can at least be mindful of where my money is going.

I will not keep looking forward to the boy's visit in June: sorry Bad S :P. But yes, I need to stop thinking about this so much. There is enough to do in the present and while I am really really looking forward to him coming, I can't quite let it dictate my life so much! And he will agree :).

I will travel and write: I've never had to tell myself to do this to be honest. But being here for so long is giving me the opportunity to plan a set of trips I have been wanting to do for a really long time. And so I will plan them well in advance and I will write about them in the promising other blog which I started and never quite continued. Cornwall, Cotswold Ireland, Isle of Skye, Lake District, Devon and Wales, here I come!

So there we are. I am going to make these 6 months incredibly awesome.